Our other sites

History

While the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation's name and structure may have changed over the past 54 years, our organisation remains committed to enhancing the lives of physically disabled people by enabling them to participate in sport and recreation.

1963

Murray Halberg attends a Sports Journalists function in Toronto, Canada, to help raise funds for disabled children. Inspired by the cause, Murray returns to New Zealand and rallies support to establish the ‘Murray Halberg Trust for Crippled Children’. The Trust is for ‘the benefit, education, advancement in life, or personal support in any way whatever, of children with physical disabilities’.

One of the Trust’s first initiatives is to resurrect the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ dinner. This event now has the dual purpose of honouring sporting excellence and raising funds for Murray’s newly established charity.

1969

A long-standing partnership with the Eagles Golfing Society begins after legendary American Olympic track and field champion, Jesse Owens, is guest speaker at the 1969 Sportsman of the Year Awards, and attends a golfing fundraiser for the Trust. The Eagles’ support of the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation remains strong to this day, with their contribution to the AllSports Activity Fund.

1970

The Trust invests in a recreational seaside property in Orewa called ‘Hendry House’. The house is made into a fully accessible holiday home which can be rented out by disabled children and their families.

1980

The Sportsman of the Year Awards becomes ‘The Halberg Awards,’ which continues to raise funds for the Trust.

Throughout the eighties, many young people began to seek the same opportunities in sport as they were receiving in education.

1981

The Trust grants funding to the Mt Roskill Grammar Disability Unit for the purchase of adapted vehicles and specialised touch and wand computers.

1983

Changes to the Education Act 1983 mean greater inclusion of disabled children within the education system. The philosophy of inclusion gains momentum in all sectors, and young people begin seeking inclusive opportunities to play sport. The Trust begins to fund a variety of programmes to cater for this demand.

1990

The Trust works hard to cope with the demand for more youth-focused disability sport opportunities, yet continues to be inundated with requests for funding.

1994

The Trust rewrites its original Trust Deed, removing the word “physical” to better represent the children who are benefitting from its work.

1995

The Halberg Trust takes a professional leap by employing its first CEO, and is instrumental in bringing a number of disability sports groups together. The Trust launches ‘Halberg Sports’ - a popular after-school programme for disabled children.

The Trust continues to be inundated with requests for funding

1996

Halberg Sports spreads to more than 40 venues across the country and delivers sport opportunities to more than 1300 children annually. The Trust continues to be inundated with requests from sporting and disability organisations seeking funding.

1998

The Hillary Commission works with the Halberg Trust to create a sporting environment in which disabled people have equal opportunities to participate, enjoy and excel in the sport of their choice.

The Halberg Trust helps fund a disability sport pilot programme in the Bay of Plenty. A Sport Opportunity Officer (SOO) begins working at the Bay of Plenty Regional Sports Trust to implement inclusive community sport programmes for disabled people.

The intent of the ‘No Exceptions’ policy is to create a sporting environment where people with a disability have the same opportunities as all
New Zealanders.

1999

The success of the Sport Opportunity Officer pilot programme in the Bay of Plenty leads to the conclusion that the inclusive delivery of disability sport in New Zealand is the preferred approach. Halberg Sports is disestablished in favour of an inclusive model.

2001

SPARC (Sport and Recreation New Zealand) is established by the Government and immediately acknowledges the importance of disability sport in New Zealand. The Halberg Trust plays a lead role in distributing SPARC funding to National Sport Organisations to develop inclusive programmes for disabled people. Coined the ‘No Exceptions’ policy, this programme aims to build a sporting environment where disabled people have the same opportunities as all New Zealanders to play the sport of their choice.

The Halberg Trust appoints 10 Sport Opportunity Officers in Regional Sports Trusts throughout New Zealand. Their role is to work with clubs, sporting organisations, recreational facilities and schools to develop sport opportunities for disabled young people.

2005

The SOO role is renamed ‘Sport Opportunity Adviser (SOA)’ but retains the core principles of the role from when it was first trialled.

2006

The Halberg Trust seeks equipment and intellectual property from the Australian Sports Commission, which leads to the launch of ‘Sports Ability’ and ‘No Exceptions Training (NET)’. These programmes are facilitated by Halberg Trust SOAs and aim to increase participation and enhance understanding of disability sport throughout the entire sporting sector.

2010

The Halberg Trust begins an internal project to establish ‘clarity and alignment within the Halberg Trust, particularly regarding aims and objectives, people served, and key philosophies’.

2011

As a result of the clarification project, the Trust’s new operational purpose becomes ‘to enhance the lives of physically disabled young people, their families and communities, by enabling them to participate in sport’. The Trust develops a clarification strategy and commences a rebranding project. The Trust introduces a ‘Disabled Sportsperson of the Year’ category at the Westpac Halberg Awards.

2012

The Trust is renamed the ‘Halberg Disability Sport Foundation’ to better represent its purpose. The Foundation renames its Sport Opportunity community programme ‘AllSports’ in order to enhance its relevance to a young and diverse target audience. As part of the new operational strategy, the Foundation now employs its field staff, referred to as Disability Sport Coordinators.

2014

Through consultation with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Development, the Foundation designed a new series of No Exceptions Training (NET) workshops, specific to primary schools.

The Foundation is selected by the Independence Games Trust to assume the management and organisation of the Junior Disability Games for 2015 and beyond. The event is renamed the Halberg Junior Disability Games.

A new Trust Deed is introduced which allows the Foundation to ensure it has a best-practice corporate governance model.